aside 13 Apr

Chow on Granville Street

Wednesday, April 5th, 2007 marks the first day of regular business for Chow Restaurant (initially, I thought Ciao or something inventive like Chau) on South Granville. Located next to Zebra Club at 15th, Chow marks the entry of Chef Jean Christophe Poirier (formerly of Lumiere and C) and partners into a South Granville location:

Chow
3121 Granville Street, Vancouver (MAP)

TEL: 604-608-2460
WEB: www.chow-restaurant.com

Sadly I missed the friends and family opening party on Sunday the 1st, but I did get a chance to check out the food thereafter.

Here’s some photos of the experience:

2007-04-04 18-54-02 DSC02956 2007-04-04 18-54-44 DSC02957 2007-04-04 19-21-40 DSC02966 2007-04-04 19-51-09 DSC02968

Some photos of the menus:

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2007-04-04 18-52-13 DSC02954 2007-04-04 18-58-41 DSC02958 2007-04-04 18-59-07 DSC02959 2007-04-04 18-59-40 DSC02960 2007-04-04 18-59-54 DSC02961

2007-04-04 19-02-43 DSC02962 2007-04-04 19-03-02 DSC02963

Here’s what sweetspot.ca had to say about the restaurant:

Chow Down

Shopping along South Granville will never be the same again, with brand new dining-with-sustenance hot-spot, Chow, primed to throw open its doors tomorrow.

And for us, it was love at first bite.

At our sneak peek, we fell for the sleek interior with its sexy blend of casual (jeans and heels, yes) elegance (but snootiness checked at the door). And Chef Jean Christophe Poirier’s — formerly of Quebec via Lumiere and C — incredible menu supporting local farmers and organic produce had us at “hello.”

We started with the Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Milk Soup (Avalon Dairy) ($8) that practically melted in our mouth then moved on to Buttermilk Poach Polderside Farm Organic Chicken Breast ($17). And although we were completely stuffed, a proper dinner out isn’t complete without dessert, so we ended the evening with Affogato ($8), espresso over vanilla ice cream. Perfection.

Lunch will soon be served, and as of May with a sunny view from the patio. For those on extra special dates, dining at the chef’s table will also soon be an option. Either way, we’ll be chowing down.

Chow
http://chow-restaurant.com
3121 Granville St. (at 15th)
604-608-2460

Observations:

When I went in, I had the opportunity to take it all in. Vikram from Vij’s came in and enjoyed dinner, Mark Brand formerly of Chambar grabbed a seat at the bar and Laura Fauman of Vancouver Magazine was enjoying the ambiance.

The restaurant is still not fully complete. They have to finish off the wall behind the bar (I believe they’ll tile around where the televisions are) and they have (according to one of their silent partners) approx. $2,000,000 of art that is yet to be delivered.

When it’s done, should be extraordinary. As for the report on the food and drinks, more to come.

Chow